Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Boys Report Week 7
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 13, 2025
We've reached the midpoint of this boys basketball season, and that means shifting gears slightly as we take on the next six weeks before District play begins.
We will still be highlighting the major statewide matchups our teams play, of course, and have done so with last week's below. But the focus at this point for most has turned to league play, and we're highlighting several potential title deciders as well, including with all five of our "Can't-Miss Contests" coming up over the next five days.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Berrien Springs 69, Benton Harbor 51 Berrien Springs (7-2) moved into first place alone in the Lakeland Conference after having been swept by eventual co-champion Benton Harbor (8-3) last season.
2. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 66, Muskegon 50 The Warriors (12-1) made a statewide statement in this matchup of Division 1 contenders at the GottaGetIt Classic at East Kentwood, handing the Big Reds (8-1) their lone loss.
3. Grass Lake 39, Michigan Center 34 Grass Lake (9-0) remained undefeated and moved into first place alone in the Cascades Conference East, sending Michigan Center (9-2) to second.
4. East Lansing 69, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 68 The Trojans (10-1) held on in East Kentwood in another matchup of Division 1 contenders, although the Eaglets (7-5) played without injured star Trey McKenney.
5. Jackson Lumen Christi 53, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep 41 The Titans (10-0) impressed in winning the Traverse City Catholic School Tournament, downing Hackett (9-2) after defeating Saginaw Nouvel in their semifinal.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Lansing Waverly (7-2) The Warriors – 19-6 and District champs a year ago – moved into a tie for second place in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue with last week’s 48-45 win over Okemos, and their only two losses this season are to league leader East Lansing and Flint Carman-Ainsworth – which are a combined 18-1. Waverly also handed Belleville what remains its lone defeat, 60-53 on Dec. 7, and will get another shot at East Lansing on the road Feb. 7.
Warren Fitzgerald (9-1) The Spartans made a nice jump last season, going from 10-14 two years ago to 17-6 and Macomb Area Conference Gold champions. Now in the MAC White, Fitzgerald has jumped out to a quick co-lead thanks in part to a 67-37 win over Utica, which avenged a league tournament championship loss from last season. The Spartans also have avenged a last-season loss to Detroit Edison and handed Waterford Mott its lone defeat, falling only to Grosse Pointe South 39-37.
DIVISION 2
Freeland (9-1) The Falcons are leading the Tri-Valley Conference Red again as they look to repeat as champions, thanks in part to a 67-61 overtime win over second-place Frankenmuth on Jan. 3. Freeland also is nearly halfway to last year’s 20 wins, with its lone loss 58-49 to Saginaw United on Dec. 11. Total, six of the team’s victories are against teams with winning records so far, and the Falcons will get another league challenge this week from Bay City John Glenn.
Onsted (10-0) The Wildcats have opened up an early lead in the Lenawee County Athletic Association as they seek to win the league title for the fourth-straight season, and they’ve also already avenged losses to Stockbridge and Dundee after finishing 20-6 a year ago. A 59-34 win over Adrian Madison on Dec. 12 is to thank for the top spot in league play, and a 63-57 win last week over Ypsilanti Arbor Prep also jumps out among first-half results.
DIVISION 3
Harbor Beach (8-1) The Pirates are a two-point loss to Blue Water Area Conference leader Yale from a perfect record, but have handed BWAC second-place Croswell-Lexington a 45-41 loss and can establish themselves as the lone team without one in the Big Thumb Conference Black with a win over Ubly on Wednesday. Harbor Beach won the former Greater Thumb Conference East by a large margin last season and finished 20-4 – a stunning jump from 7-12 in 2022-23.
Millington (8-0) The Cardinals have surged to the top of the first-year BTC White after tying for first in the TVC Blue a year ago. Their only single-digit games have come against Carrollton and Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, the former coming off a 2023-24 season split with the Cavaliers and the latter pushing Millington into the league lead alone last week. The Cardinals can take a couple more big steps in establishing themselves as conference favorites this week against Bad Axe and Reese, which joins Laker tied for second in the BTC White.
DIVISION 4
Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (7-1) The Chargers went from second in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue all the way to the Division 4 Semifinals last season, and capped last week with a 59-50 win over Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest – the reigning league champion. Inter-City has played all larger schools so far this season and pulled out three wins by five or fewer points, with its lone loss to Division 2 Detroit Voyageur College Prep, 63-57.
Pickford (8-1) A 67-42 win over Rudyard is likely the highlight so far; in addition to facing Rudyard twice a year in Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference play, Pickford also has seen its last three seasons end with losses to the Bulldogs. The Panthers also downed St. Ignace by 43 after being swept by the Saints a year ago and has swept Brimley coming off a 2023-24 season split with the Bays. The lone loss came to Harbor Springs; no other opponent has come closer than 17 points to catching Pickford.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Hartford (9-1) at Centreville (7-0) – These two are both undefeated in Southwest 10 Conference action, Hartford with a half-game lead having played one more league game.
Tuesday – Cheboygan (8-1) at Harbor Springs (9-1) – Harbor Springs is undefeated in Northern Shores Conference play and Cheboygan is one of three teams tied for second, but these two have been the best of the bunch overall so far.
Thursday – Okemos (10-1) at East Lansing (10-1) – East Lansing has taken on and defeated several of the state’s elite, but this time will do so to hold onto first place alone in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue.
Thursday – Yale (10-1) at Croswell-Lexington (8-3) – This will be the first of two meetings between these Blue Water Area Conference rivals, and Yale holds a one-game edge at the top of the league standings.
Friday – Petersburg Summerfield (10-0) at Adrian Lenawee Christian (8-1) – This pair is tied atop the Tri-County Conference standings heading into their first of two meetings.
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PHOTOS (Top) A Mt. Morris player soars toward the basket during his team's 70-42 loss at Davison last week. (Middle) Iron Mountain's Oskar Kangas blocks a shot by Marquette's Kyler Sager during their teams' December matchup, won by the Sentinels 67-47. (Mt. Morris/Davison photo by Terry Lyons. Iron Mountain/Marquette photo by Cara Kamps.)
Whitaker Adds Scoring Milestone, School Record to Remarkable Hoops Rise
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
January 23, 2024
Braiden Whitaker traded sunshine for snow, oceans for Great Lakes and year-round football for basketball.
Despite not playing organized basketball until seventh grade, the Dundee senior has evolved into a 6-foot-5 beast on the basketball court and has the Vikings 13-1 and ranked sixth in the state.
“The passion he plays with is infectious to everyone around him,” said Dundee coach Jay Haselschwerdt. “He brings a lot of enthusiasm to the team. The other players feed off that.”
Whitaker has been outstanding all season, but never better than his record-setting performance last week for the Vikings at home in a nonleague game against Monroe Jefferson.
Whitaker came into the game needing 36 points to reach 1,000 for his career. In the fourth quarter, he started getting close. His teammates kept getting him the ball.
“It was a great feeling,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. They helped me out. I started off bad in the first quarter, so I knew in the second half it was time to go.”
Haselschwerdt said Whitaker’s teammates were cheering him on down the stretch.
“As he got closer, the team really wanted him to get to 1,000,” he said. “Hats off to Braiden and hats off to the team for being okay with that. It was a very special night.”
When Whitaker got his 1,000th point, he got emotional. He teared up as coaches, teammates and family recognized his accomplishment.
“It meant a lot to him,” Haselschwerdt said.
Only, he wasn’t done. After hitting another shot and converting a three-point play, he was only a couple buckets shy of the school’s single-game scoring record of 43 points. He got that a minute later, finishing with 44 in the 72-63 victory.
Dundee needed every one of Whitaker’s points to hold off Jefferson. The Vikings started the game missing one starter and during it lost two more to injuries. Jefferson scored 30 points in the fourth quarter and kept the game close.
“When you are 13-1, you are going to get everyone’s best shot,” Haselschwerdt said. “We know that. The kids have stepped up and adjusted their game.”
No one has adjusted his game more than Whitaker.
He grew up in Jacksonville, Fla., where football is king.
“Football is crazy there,” Whitaker said. “You play football year-round. Everyone does. That’s what I did. I was really into flag football at that time.”
In the seventh grade, however, Whitaker’s family moved to Michigan.
“We had family in the area,” he said. “Most of my mom’s family is from the area. My aunt moved into Dundee about a year before we moved up here. I didn’t know much about Michigan. I remember we were looking for a school to go to, and we chose Dundee.”
Whitaker never gave up football. In the fall he was one of the top receivers in Monroe County and has made a couple of unofficial college visits to schools wanting him to play football at the next level. Right now, his options remain open.
“We’re glad he’s here,” Haselschwerdt said. “He wants to go to college in Michigan. He’s got a great friend group. He’s a big part of Dundee life. He is kind of a rock star. Everybody knows him.”
Haselschwerdt said Whitaker has worked hard to rise to this level.
“Basketball wasn’t something he’s dominated since in the seventh grade,” the coach said. “He’s worked on his game. He’s grown by leaps and bounds. He’s become a great player, but it was a lot of hard work.”
Whitaker debuted on the Vikings varsity as a sophomore, averaging 10.1 points per game. Last year he increased that average to around 18 ppg and led the Vikings to a District championship by scoring 12 of his team's last 17 points in a 53-51 win over Ida, including a thrilling dunk in the final moments that sent the Dundee crowd into a frenzy. They mobbed him on the court after the win.
“Everyone loves him,” Haselschwerdt said. “His teammates, the students, the fans. Even the community. He’s that kind of kid. The community has embraced him.”
The previous single-game scoring record had stood since 1959. With this season just past the halfway point, Whitaker has his sights set on a league title, a long tournament run and, possibly, more records.
“Everyone likes breaking records,” Whitaker said. “It was a great feeling to accomplish that."
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Dundee’s Braiden Whitaker throws down a thunderous dunk. (Middle) Whitaker, left, with Dundee coach Jay Haselschwerdt. (Top photo by Mike Doughty; middle photo courtesy of the Dundee boys basketball program.)